THE full operations of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP) has been further delayed to September 2023, said Davao City Councilor Louie John Bonguyan.
Bonguyan, chairperson of the committee on energy and water, said Apo Agua has asked for leeway due to the problems they have encountered.
"Nigawas ning September na time kay dili na mi gusto nga naa pa'y reason gani nga sige'g ulan, maintenance, flushing pa sila, cleaning sa pipe (They came to the decision to have the target completion by September to make way for maintenance, effects of weather, flushing, and cleaning of the pipe)," he said in an ambush interview on May 2, 2023, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
"Mao na ni ang final timeline nila, according sa karun nga statement nga naa na ni leeway, so naa na ni enough time na maka-fully implement na sila between June to September (This is their final timeline based on their statement. They are now given enough time to fully implement the project between June to September)," he added.
Bonguyan said that if in case Apo Agua will not be able to operate within the given time, they will consider checking if they can take legal action against them.
"We will still look into it kay kailangan gyud nato og tubig, kailangan nato nga mapadali sila (because we really need the water supply and we demand to have it as soon as possible)," he added.
The project has been delayed several times. The DCBWSP was supposed to be implemented in 2021 but was delayed due to the pandemic.
In 2022, the project experienced another bump after Apo Agua took over J.V. Angeles Construction Corporation as the lead implementor of the project. At the same time, the company then said it will fast-track the construction of the project and have it completed by the end 2022.
In September, after a controversial exchange with a netizen, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte told Apo Agua to be clear with their timeline to make people aware of when the project will be completed.
"I told them (Apo Agua) to let the people know what to expect. Nag-commit man si Apo Agua, bago lang mi nag kita. Nihangyo ko sa ilaha na 'kamo pag istorya sa mga tao kay kamo man kabalo unsa'y mahitabo kay dili man ko tag-iya sa tubig, dili pud ko engineer (Apo Agua already committed. I asked them to inform the public properly because I'm not a water supplier nor an engineer to know the technicalities of the project)," the mayor said in an interview on the Davao City Disaster Radio in September 2021.
Following his interview, Apo Agua announced that they target to complete the project by the first half of 2023, which is a delay from their initial target, which was the end of 2022. In December 2022, the Davao City Water District said the project is targeted to be completed on June 2023.
Meanwhile, on April 18, Apo Agua said during a report to the Davao City Council that among the issues that it is facing include pipe problems such as leaks due to a damaged pipeline in Brgy. Los Amigos that were "punctured most likely by a fiber-optics contractor" and additional flushing and disinfection activities to clear the pipes from debris, sediments, and dirt.
On April 21, 2023, four contractor workers of WITCO Construction and Development Corporation were having difficulty breathing while conducting internal cleaning inside the pipeline along Barangay Buhangin Proper – one died due to suffocation while the three survived. KSD
